Miqati Meets Suleiman, Calls for Consolidating the Country
Premier-designate Najib Miqati held talks with President Michel Suleiman at Baabda Palace on Wednesday but not did make any statement after the meeting.
Media reports said Miqati discussed with Suleiman the cabinet formation efforts. The talks came amid a continued impasse on the new government due to several obstacles, mainly Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun’s bickering with Suleiman over the interior ministry portfolio.
The cabinet is not likely to be formed before the Easter holidays although contacts between involved officials continued to try to solve the main obstacle facing the formation of the government – the interior ministry portfolio in addition to the telecommunications and energy portfolios which Miqati refuses to grant them together to Aoun.
As Safir and An Nahar dailies said that Miqati’s brother Taha visited Damascus on Tuesday to discuss with Syrian officials the formation of the new government.
Miqati has called for consolidating the country and urged officials not to be dragged into disputes that target stability.
Lebanon’s problems can no longer sustain verbal clashes that “reflect or react with developments in the Arab world because the repercussions on Lebanon and the Lebanese would be very bad,” Beirut media quoted him as saying earlier Wednesday.
He lauded several local parties for stressing the need not to interfere in Syria’s internal affairs and the importance of preserving the stability of the neighboring country.
Miqati hoped that Syrian officials would welcome these stances in the interest of the two countries.
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